Exclusive: Immigration Boss Exposes Biden's Post-Administration Findings

The Challenges of Rebuilding U.S. Immigration Systems

When Joe Edlow, the director of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), returned to his role in the Trump administration, he anticipated facing the aftermath of the Biden administration's border crisis. However, what awaited him was a far more complex challenge: an agency that had been largely inactive for four years in addressing immigration fraud, combined with a staggering backlog of asylum cases.

Edlow, who was nominated by President Donald Trump in March and officially sworn in during July, took over an agency that was on the brink due to the overwhelming number of migrant encounters along the southern border during the Biden era. According to data from Customs and Border Protection, fiscal years 2023 and 2024 were the worst and second worst years, respectively, for inadmissible border encounters in history. This surge placed immense pressure on border communities and major U.S. cities.

The situation led to a significant increase in asylum claims processed by USCIS. In January 2018, there were approximately 311,000 pending affirmative asylum claims. By the end of fiscal year 2022, this number nearly doubled to 625,000. By 2024, the backlog surpassed one million for the first time in history. Affirmative asylum claims are distinct from defensive ones, as they are filed by individuals already in the U.S. and not in deportation proceedings.

The Impact of Policy Changes

As illegal immigration surged, the Biden administration introduced several programs aimed at easing the burden at the Mexico border. These initiatives included the CHNV program, which allowed over half a million Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan, and Venezuelan nationals to enter the U.S., and the revamping of the CBP One app, enabling foreign nationals to apply for asylum en masse. Additionally, the administration extended deportation protections for a range of countries, allowing their citizens to remain in the U.S.

These policies drew criticism from Republicans, who viewed them as amnesty run-arounds. The implementation of these programs coincided with the removal of officials who opposed immigration fraud. Several Trump-appointed immigration judges were dismissed, leading to a GOP investigation into the matter.

One such judge, Matt O’Brien, who served during both the Trump and Biden administrations, was fired after a high denial rate for asylum claims. According to data from the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, O’Brien denied relief in 255 out of 288 cases, resulting in an 88.5% denial rate—well above the average of 57.7% for all immigration court judges at the time.

A New Approach to Fraud Enforcement

Edlow, now leading the country’s legal immigration system, believes there was a “get-to-yes mentality” among USCIS during the Biden era, which allowed fraudulent claims to go unchecked. In contrast, the Trump administration has taken significant steps to strengthen fraud enforcement.

In recent months, USCIS has implemented new measures to prevent foreign nationals from voting in U.S. elections and has highlighted issues within the Special Immigrant Juvenile program, which has been plagued by adult gang members, sexual predators, and even alleged murderers. Despite these efforts, Edlow states that the crackdown is just beginning.

“We’ve got to return the integrity of the immigration system, and that’s really a job for USCIS,” Edlow said. His focus remains on ensuring that the system is fair, transparent, and free from abuse. As the agency continues to address these challenges, the goal is to restore public confidence in the immigration process and ensure that it serves the best interests of the United States.